Dolphin getting stuck

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bkfamily1

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Jul 8, 2013
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North Canton, OH
Our Dolphin is constantly getting stuck on top of the main drains. I do not mean due to the drain suction. It gets up on top of the drain cover that is meant to keep someone from getting stuck to the drain.

Is there a way to prevent that?

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Found this on their web site

"My Dolphin gets stuck on my VGB main drain cover.

Try turning your pool pump OFF while your Dolphin is in operation. The additional suction from the main drain may contribute to your Dolphin getting stuck.

Depending on your model, there may be a solution to this problem available from Maytronics in the form of a replacement impeller cover. This alternate cover angles the water expelled from the impeller backwards rather than straight up, which can propel the Dolphin off of high VGB main drains.

If no such VGB solution exists for your Dolphin model, there are a variety of after-market, 3rd-party devices which can be installed on or over your VGB drain cover to prevent your Dolphin from getting stuck"

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I called Maytronics for my DX4, as it was also getting stuck on the main drains (see different thread). Maytronics sent me the VGB kit for the robot...but it doesn't cure things completely. The first time I used it, the robot had no problems with the drains, so I called it a success. A couple of days later, though, it was back to spinning around on them.

My take is that it helps a bit...but it's definitely not the definitive cure.

I suspect the only "true" cure would be to get a different robot (one with 4WD, perhaps) and/or, as has been suggested here, an accessory of some sort to put over the main drains.
 
I have a DX4 like mhosborn. I think I will give Maytronics a call. And I will ask them about the "variety of after-market, 3rd-party devices" they mention. I will also search around a bit if they can not point me to anything. I will follow up and let you know what I find.

Thanks
 
I spoke to Maytronics. They are sending their modified exhaust port. I also asked about the 3rd party devices. They told me about the "Polaris Unicover" and the "Smartpool Smart-Ring." I do not know if these are the right size or if there are different sizes, but I found those two products pretty easily. I think I will wait for their "fix," and take a closer look at these if that does not do it.

http://www.amazon.com/Polaris-Unicover-AV-Main-Drains/dp/B002WKS7Z6

http://www.smartpool.com/website/Products/tabid/89/ProdID/25/Language/en-US/SmartRing.aspx
 

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So I got the Maytronics "fix." It is an impeller cover with an added "hood" that diverts the water back and provides a bit of forward "propulsion." In a couple of weeks, it has not gotten stuck on the drain once. That is a major improvement. If you have the same issue, I would definitely call them to get this before trying anything else. Note that you need to have your serial number when you call.

dx4 cover.jpg
 
I have called Maytronic about this issue. They send you a free device that directs the impeller water jet backwards, but it doesn't work at all. The second time I called them, they instructed me to BUY a type of cone that builds a ramp around the drains so that the tracks don't get stuck off the ground. Either way, it's not right that we have to buy another device to fix their flaw. Stay away from Maytronics.
 
Every pool is not the same and their are probably 100s of covers for those drains. You can't expect Maytronics to build a robot that can clear all of them. A basic part of an under water vacuum / robot is the requirement that the unit remains fairly low profile. That low profile requirement ensures that you actually have suction between the floor of the pool and the suction device. If your carpet vacuum rode 3" off the ground, how much dirt do you actually think you would pick up.

These robots are expensive and a lot of stores offer test drives, to avoid the issues mentioned above
 
This is true, but my old pool was no problem for the robots, I'd suspect any newer pool with the new style drains is going to have the same problem people are experiencing. My dolphin got stuck all the time on the drain but did manage to get it self off. My smartpool cleaner does get stuck on their too but gets itself off much quicker so design plays into it. I believe aquabot makes a cover on the bottom with rollers that is supposed to help the problem too.

Killer95Stang said:
Every pool is not the same and their are probably 100s of covers for those drains. You can't expect Maytronics to build a robot that can clear all of them. A basic part of an under water vacuum / robot is the requirement that the unit remains fairly low profile. That low profile requirement ensures that you actually have suction between the floor of the pool and the suction device. If your carpet vacuum rode 3" off the ground, how much dirt do you actually think you would pick up.

These robots are expensive and a lot of stores offer test drives, to avoid the issues mentioned above
Click to expand...
 
I've seen these and they look good, but how do you know the exact size of your main drain? Then what if people step on them? In deep pools not really an issue I guess, but in Florida with shallower pools, I think that could be an issue.


miles267 said:
Turns out the impeller exhaust re-director fix isn't available for my Dolphin Z5 (aka Oasis).

They did however offer multiple aftermarket options, including this which they suggested first:

Main Drain Clip-On - Pool Maintenance Simplified


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Click to expand...
 

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